Un Gusto Che Piace

A Taste that Pleases

Fatto A Mano Presentation at the 2025 NeMLA Conference. Sharing our research via an experiential learning demonstration with handmade tools, memories, recipes, and cooking techniques.

Ricotta Gnocchi Recipe:

16 oz Whole Milk Ricotta

1 1/2 cups “00” flour + 1 cup for cutting board

1 tablespoon salt

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Hard Semolina flour for dusting

• Tools: Mixing bowl, Cutting Board, Gnocchi Board, Dough Scraper or knife, sheet pan or drying rack

Using a large mixing bowl, combine the ricotta, flour, salt, and extra virgin olive oil. Hand-mix and incorporate all ingredients slowly until you form a ball of dough in your mixing bowl. Do not overmix. You want your Gnocchi to be light and airy, so do not use utensils or mixing tools; use your hands and continue to fold your dough over until you have one complete ball. Your dough should be tacky, but not sticky or wet.

Flour your cutting board. 

Using your dough scraper, begin to portion out 4-5 inch balls of your dough and begin to slowly roll it between your two hands. 

If sticky, flour your hands. Place your smaller dough on the cutting board and begin to roll it out into long, snake-like cylinders. Your dough should be about 1/2 inch thick and about 20 inches long. Once you have a long roll of dough, use your dough scraper to make 1-inch cuts. Cut all dough pieces into 1/2 inch thick, but 1-inch long pieces.

With your Gnocchi board, take 1 cut piece of dough and using your thumb, press the dough gently onto your gnocchi board while rolling down the ridges of the board. The motion is circular, but apply minimal pressure; let the Gnocchi board do the work. Place each dough piece with ridges onto a sheet pan or drying rack coated with hard semolina flour. Refrigerate for 30 mins or freeze until cooked.